Penny Blood Serial Cover — page 84: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

76 ‘ALFRED DE ROSANN. also remembered that the same country was famous for ragouts, and concluded his clear and comprehen- sive elucidations with an equally plain description of the way to dress those dishes & la Frangats. “—? CHAPTER VII. ae THE PASSPORTS. _ Iv was already eight o’clock in the evening when the chain entered the streets of Verneuil. A tedious | day’s march, rendered more fatiguing than usual by the muddy state’ of the roads, and the vacillation of the weather, which had repeadedly changed from- storm to sunshine, and from sunshine to storm alter- nately, as if the whole sway of nature were submitted - to the caprice of a woman’s mind—the tedious day’s march, I say, was terminated at the gates of the prison wherein the convicts were destined to pass the night. The massive doors were speedily opened by a sulky- looking gaoler, whose stern countenance only relaxed into an expression of civility when the chain had entered the court-yard of the prison, and the Gen- darmes had closed the rear. The convicts were detached from each other, and conducted by twos, or threes, or fours, to different cachots, according to the size of those dungeons. Some meagre soup, mouldy bread, parched peas, and cold water, were then distributed amongst them; and the doors of their cells closed upon them for the night. | It happened that De Rosann, Belle-Rose, and Champignon were confined together in the same hole; and they all three congratulated themselves on this circumstance. De Rosann was pleased, because - he had become accustomed to the garrulity of his GomMmicdooksrco